The Witch of Willow Lake

Fourteen

Emmett's and Alicia's heads snapped towards me, both their expressions wide-eyed and in shock.

"Hallie," Alicia spoke with a tone that was one of warning, "are you sure? If you do this, there's no going back."

"Alicia, there's no going back if I die either." I sighed, "just promise me one thing."

Emmett gave a single, sharp nod, "Anything."

"If I can't fight the instincts and I go bad, I want you to promise that you'll kill me."

Alicia gasped, her hands clasping over her mouth as terror flashed in her eyes, "Hallie, no!"

"Yes, Alicia, we will, but we know it won't come to that. If it does, if that is her wish, then we owe her that. I owe her that. I'm sorry my selfishness has put you here, Hallie."

I moved a little and wrapped my arms around Emmett's broad shoulders, "It's okay. I forgive you."

"I love you like you were my child, Hallie. I couldn't let you go." Emmett's arms wrapped around me tightly as his head rested on my shoulder.

"Hey, what about me? I want a hug too!" Alicia jeered before she pounced onto us to join the embrace.

We fell back onto the damp grass as we all laughed for a moment, as we relaxed, just letting the tense moment loosen for a minute.

"Do I have to kill someone?" I asked quietly after our laughter had died down.

"Thankfully, no." Emmett reassured me, "Just drinking human blood from a blood bag will do it. I fetched one from the closet hospital; it's in the fridge in the cabin."

"You're one hundred percent, Hallie?" Alicia asked in a whisper.

"Yes," I nodded confidently, "I know as long as I got you both, I'll be okay. So, I can't get staked through the heart or have my head chopped off?"

Alicia chuckled, "No, unless you have a death wish. But you can eat garlic, and holy water does not affect us. I'm not sure where humans got that idea from. You can eat and drink; however, it tastes vile, but you'll find adding a load of spices or something helps. Adding garlic to meals makes it taste better."

"Anything else the books got wrong?" I snickered, feeling slightly amused at the information, more so because even the covens knowledge had gotten some of that intelligence wrong.

"Well, we don't turn into bats or cats, although I'd have loved if that were true." Alicia joked as she softly nudged my arm, "Silver or sacred bullet's don't kill us unless they pierce our hearts. Oh, and we can enter anywhere, as long as it's not holy ground. While holy water doesn't affect us, spiritual grounds do, and crosses do sting like hell."

"So no churches, mosques, or anything. Graveyards are okay, but if they're attached to church grounds, not so much." Emmett proceeded, "Oh, and as you've seen, we have reflections. That's about it."

"So everything except the whole stake, head-chopping, and the holy ground is a whole heap of rubbish?"

"Humans, if nothing else, are imaginative." Emmett smiled before standing himself up. "Come on, let's go do this."

Alicia stood herself and held out her hand to help me up. "Hey, next time, you won't need a piggyback either."

"Once you're adjusted, I'm challenging you to a race."

"Bring it, Emmett, I'll outrun you." I beamed at his playful challenge.

Alicia stood there and rolled her eyes. "Why do I get a feeling life from now on will comprise a lot of headaches and you two fighting each other?"